Friends,
This week I presented my bill to ensure students are learning to read at grade level as well as introduced a bill to remove a restrictive, job-crushing regulations placed on local small breweries. Enjoy my update from Saint Paul this week!
Reading by Third Grade
I presented my bill to make sure children are able to read at appropriate levels by 3rd Grade in the Education Innovation Policy Committee this week. My bill makes sure that if children are not reading at the appropriate level, that there is a plan of action to bring that child up to speed.
There is no “one size fits all” solution required or demanded by this bill. Instead it instructs teachers to work with the student and their parents to design a program that will address the struggles of that individual student.
The bill has been held over for possible inclusion in an education policy bill.
Rep. Christensen presents his bill to help children read by third grade in committee
Growler Bill
On Monday, I introduced a bill that will expand which breweries in Minnesota are able to sell growlers. Currently, Minnesota law forbids a brewer that brews more than 20,000 barrels from selling growlers. This has caused a number of Minnesota’s successful small breweries to be forced to give up selling growlers – they are penalized for their own success.
Just this past September, Fulton Brewery announced they would have to stop selling growlers, a staple of their early success, as they reached the 20,000 barrel limit.
My bill will increase this unnecessarily restrictive limit from 20,000 barrels to 250,000 barrels. The explosion of small breweries and brew pubs have brought new jobs to Minnesota and grown our economy. We should remove this restrictive, job-crushing regulation on these small businesses. I am happy to carry this legislation that will allow our small breweries to continue to sell growlers.
I was on WCCO Radio to chat about my Growler Bill this week, you can listen to that here.
Growler Magazine wrote about the positive impact this will have on Minnesota breweries here. GoMN also did a nice write up on the bill here.
Rep. Christensen met with these dedicated UMD students this week.
As always, please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas on the bills heard in committee and in session. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office any time by calling my office at (651) 296-9463, or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.drew.christensen@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Drew